Machine for packaging articles in parallel



Malh 9, 1965 J. E. AsHwoR-rH 3,172,565

MACHINE FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES IN PARALLEL Filed June 1B, 1963 /NVENTORJAMES E. ASHWOR'H @f @ww/5% Attorney United States Patent OH ice3,172,565 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 3,172,565 MAC FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES INPARALLEL James E. Ashworth, Palo Alto, Calif., assigner to United StatesSteel Corporation, a corporation of New .lersey Filed .lune 18, 1963,Ser. No. 288,749 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-212) This invention relates to animproved machine for positioning elongated articles in parallel forpackaging.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine of simplifiedconstruction which rapidly and accurately positions elongated articles,such as nails, in parallel and lying horizontally.

A further object is to provide a machine of the foregoing type whichavoids the need for high strength electromagnets and the problemsincident to periodically energizing and deenergizing such magnets.

A more specific object is to provide a machineof the foregoing typewhich includes a conical rotor journaled on an inclined axis and adaptedto receive elongated articles arranged vertically and lay them downhorizontally and in parellel in a package.

vIn accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which isshown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a packaging machine constructed inaccordance with my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational View of the machine with parts brokenaway; and

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on line lll-lll of FIGURE 2.

The machine comprises essentially a stationary housing 10, a rotor 12 ofnonmagnetic material, a drive motor 13 for the rotor, a magnet 14preferably of the permanent type, and a magazine 15. The rotor y12 isshaped as a hollow frustum of a right cone and it has a plurality ofspaced-apart grooves 16 in its conical face extending the lengththereof. The rotor is mounted on a shaft 17 which extends downwardlyfrom the smaller end of the frustum. Shaft v1.7 is journaled in abearing 18 in housing 10 to rotate on an axis which slopes approximately45 from both vertical and horizontal. Thus one portion of the conicalface is vertical and the diametrically opposite portion is horizontal.The lower end of shaft y17 is operatively connected with the drive motor13, as with a chain and sprocket mechanism 19, to be drivencounterclockwise. Housing l has a shroud portion 20 which closely coversapproximately half the circumference of the conical surface of the rotorextending counterclockwise from the vertical portion to the horizontalportion. 'Ihe magnet 14 is mounted on a stand 21 and is positionedwithin the hollow of the rotor adjacent the upper edge of the shroud,Magazine includes a pair of spaced-apart plates which are attached tothe housing 10 opposite the magnet 14, and the upper edges of whichslope downwardly toward the rotor. The lower portion of the housingforms an archway 22 beneath the rotor.

In operation, I feed to magazine 15 a succession of elongated articles Awhich have heads H (for example nails). Suitable feeders for introducingarticles to a magazine of this type are well known. They usually includea vibrating hopper and troughs for receiving articles from the hopperand holding them in parallelism. Reference can be made to KuehlmanPatent No. `2,385,141 for a typical showing. The heads H rest on theupper edges of the magazine plates to support the articles, The articlesmove down the magazine gravitationally and one by one enter grooves 16in rotor 12. The shroud 20 has a notch 23 at its upper end toaccommodate the heads H as the articles enter the grooves (FIGURE 3).Magnet 14 pulls the articles into the grooves initially, and the shroud20 holds them in thereafter. The shroud has an internal groove 24 andthe rotor 12 a beveled edge 25 to accommodate the heads H. I place a boxor carton v26 in the archway 22 to receive the articles as the rotorcarries them past the lower edge of the shroud. Thus the rotor deliversarticles to the box in parallelism and lying horizontally. Normally Iuse two machines extending in opposite directions from the box, wherebyhalf the articles are packaged with their heads at one end of the boxand half with their heads at the other end.

From the foregoing descriptions it is seen that my invention affords asimple machine for laying down elongated articles horizontally and inparallel in a package. The same machine can handle articles of a varietyof sizes without changing any parts. The magnet preferably is a simplepermanent magnet, overcoming need for circuits to energize anddeenergize electromagnets.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of myinvention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I donot wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scopeof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for packaging elongated headed articles in parallelcomprising a housing, a nonmagnetic rotor shaped as a hollow frustum ofa right cone journaled in said housing to rotate on an axis slopingapproximately 45 from both vertical and horizontal with its smaller enddown, whereby one portion of the conical face is vertical and thediametrically opposite portion is horizontal, said rotor having aplurality of spaced-apart grooves in its conical face and a beveledsurface around the outer circumference of its larger end, drive meansoperatively connected with said rotor, said housing including a shroudportion which closely covers approximately half the circumference of theconical face of said rotor extending from said vertical portion to saidhorizontal portion, said shroud portion having a notch at its upper endand an internal groove opposite said beveled surface, a magnet supportedwithin said rotor opposite said vertical portion, and means forintroducing articles one by one to the groove in said rotor at saidvertical portion as said rotor rotates on its axis, the heads of thearticles being accommodated by said notch, internal groove and beveledsurface.

2. A machine a defined in claim 1 in which said housing has an archwayformed beneath the horizontal portion of the conical face for receivinga container into which the articles are delivered from said rst-namedgrooves.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1 in which said lastnamed meansincludes a magazine formed of a pair of spaced-apart plates fixed tosaid housing adjacent the verti cal portion of the conical face, saidplates having upper surfaces which slope downwardly toward the conicalface, whereby said plates support a succession of headed articles 3 andallow them to feed *gravitationally to said rst-named grooves.

4. A machine for packaging elongated headed articles in parallelcomprising a housing, a rotor shaped as a frustum of a cone journaledrinsaid housing to rotate on a 5 sloping axis and having a plurality ofgrooves in its conical face and a beveled surface around lthecircumference of its larger end, drive means operatively connected withsaid rotor, said housing including a shroud portion which closely coversapproximately half the circumference of the l0 conical face of saidrotor, said shroud portion having a notch 'at one end and an internalgroove opposite said beveled surface, and means for introducing headedarticles 4 one by one to the groove in saidrotor opposite said notch assaid rotor rotates on its axis theo heads of the articles beingaccommodated by said notch, internal groove and beveled surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 15,052Whipple June 3, 1856 1,390,060 River Sept. 6, 1921 1,810,528 PetersonJune 16, 1931 2,483,028 Waldinger Sept. 27, 1949 2,938,213 Gorn May 31,1960 3,090,476 Sanders May 21, 1963

1. A MACHINE FOR PACKAGING ELONGATED HEADED ARTICLES IN PARALLELCOMPRISING A HOUSING, A NONMAGNETIC ROTOR SHAPED AS A HOLLOW FRUSTUM OFA RIGHT CONE JOURNALED IN SAID HOUSING TO ROTATE ON AN AXIS SLOPINGAPPROXIMATELY 45* FROM BOTH VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL WITH ITS SMALLER ENDDOWN, WHEREBY ONE PORTION OF THE CONICAL FACE IS VERTICAL AND THEDIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE PORTION IS HORIZONTAL, SAID ROTOR HAVING APLURALITY OF SPACED-APART GROOVES IN ITS CONICAL FACE AND A BEVELEDSURFACE AROUND THE OUTER CIRCUMFERENCE OF ITS LARGER END, DRIVE MEANSOPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID ROTOR, SAID HOUSING INCLUDING A SHROUDPORTION WHICH CLOSELY COVERS APPROMIATELY HALF THE CIRCUMFERECE OF THECONICAL FACE OF SAID ROTOR EXTENDING FROM SAID VERTICAL PORTION TO SAIDHORIZONTAL PORTION, SAID